Me & Charlie Talkin'
by TheMusicLives
Summary: During a school trip to Camp Suisse, the brunette members of the Non-Judging Breakfast Club find themselves alone for the afternoon. Young!CBNS; very mild T; One-Shot; gift for the Eddicted Holiday Exchange on FanForum.


**A/N: **This is dedicated to Jackie (Blood Red Kiss of Death), the recipient of my Secret Santa / Holiday Exchange gift over at the Ed Westwick board on FanForum. I hope you had an amazing holiday, Jackie. Happy Hanukkah, sweetie! I hope that you like this! (This is NOT beta'd.)

**WARNINGS: **There really aren't any serious warnings. I only rated this T because of a conversation topic. Title for this story is borrowed from the song of the same title by Miranda Lambert.

* * *

~o~

Me and Charlie Talkin'

~o~

* * *

Sitting in the back seat of a black stretch limo, riding down the road to Camp Suisse, Blair had a sense of foreboding. The buttery leather seats had always instilled her with a sense of security in who she was and the safety of being cared for. Those were two things that were not going to make a difference at this point.

Blair was on her way to a place that would take her completely out of her normal, secure world and put her right in the middle of situations that would unnerve her. Why did Constance and St. Jude's decide that a week long trip at the end of September would be a great learning experience?!

"Oh my God, I'm so excited you guys!" Serena squealed from the other end of the compartment, practically bouncing off the seat that Blair was clinging to. "You're all gonna love Camp Suisse! I had so much fun last time!"

From his seat next to Blair, Nate's eyes were glued to her best friend in a not so subtle perusal of the other girl's ever-changing figure. These days it was a constant thing to watch as Nate ogled the blond and it was getting more frustrating for Blair every time she noticed it. Her own body was still as flat as a pane of window glass.

Occupying the corner of the Limo directly diagonal from herself, Chuck rolled his eyes at Serena's excitement and then closed them. He seemed to be annoyed at how Serena was bouncing up and down, jostling the seat while he was trying to sleep.

"S," Blair directed the thinly veiled threat to her friend, "if I _don't_ enjoy myself..."

"...I know, I know, you'll dye my hair green." The blonde smiled a wide, smug smile. "That's how sure I am that this is going to be the most awesome week!!!"

* * *

Right. Awesome.

Three _awesome_ days later, the counselors announced that everyone would be spending the night in a tent.

Sleeping on the ground.

Oh, there was just no way that was going to happen.

While getting ready to spend the afternoon down at the lake, Serena was trying to talk Blair out of avoiding camping at all cost. Blair was trying to convince her friend that it would be less traumatizing for all concerned if she stayed back in her room.

During their argument, the girls donned their swimsuits and suddenly Blair wanted to ditch swimming altogether. Serena's new bikini was modest enough for an eleven year old, but somehow looked lewd next to Blair's Waldorf original one-piece. Reflected in the mirror, she looked three years younger than her best friend; a child standing next to a young woman, even though Blair was the elder of the two.

This was doing nothing for her security issues.

Still, Blair followed Serena out of the room to meet up with the boys down the path so that they could walk altogether. There was a rule around camp that everyone needed to travel in groups of two or more for safety reasons when going to the lake. It was just luck that the four were always together anyway.

Watching in horror while Nate stared with rapt attention at Serena's outfit, which she'd only thrown shorts over, Blair almost missed how swiftly Chuck's eyes took in her friend. Chuck with the crazy reputation he was already gaining seemed not to be as impressed.

He did say that the bow on Blair's suit was a nice touch, though.

About a minute into their walk, Serena and Nate decided that they wanted to race the rest of the way. Before she knew it, Blair was left walking beside Chuck down the path, her eyes following the two blonde heads bobbing away from where she stood.

Her last thought before she stepped on the edge of the sidewalk was how much they were both enjoying this... and her ankle twisted.

She came down hard on the cement path, her foot throbbing, and cursed her choice in footwear. It had been a silly whim to throw on the strappy sandals with the tiny raised platform on the bottom; a small amount of height to bolster her shrinking confidence about her appearance next to Serena. The choice was definitely not worth it now.

When Chuck crouched down next to her and touched her shoulder, she realized he hadn't left her alone and gone on to the lake. It was strange how she hadn't expected it of him, yet it wasn't really surprising. Taking a quick second to glance toward the lake, she knew no one else noticed she was hurt; the two heads of blonde were completely out of sight.

"Strange choice of footwear for _camp_, don'tcha think, Waldorf?" He was shaking his head with a smirk on his face.

It irritated her.

"Oh, like you knew any better what to have packed for this trip," she snapped.

Chortling, he raised an eyebrow. "There's no way Dorota would have packed those."

"Well... I..." His eyes were scrutinizing her face and for some strange reason a blush began to rise up from her neck. "I was being prepared, okay?"

"Prepared to get hurt for some silly shoes."

"Ugh!" She whipped her head away from his, a blatant attempt to shake his gaze. "Shut up, Bass."

She didn't see Chuck roll his eyes at her, but she would've sworn she heard them roll. "Do you wanna get off the ground or _not_?" He didn't wait for her answer. His arm was looping under hers and she was suddenly upright, keeping the weight off of her injured foot. "Now, do you think we need a stretcher or can you limp like this?"

Sparing him a quick glance, Blair sighed, "Let's go."

Slowly the two made their way back up the walk, the camp seemingly deserted around them. When they reached her room door, Blair fumbled for her key and Chuck helped her hobble over to the bed. As he helped her sit, Chuck's arms were around her for a few seconds more than necessary, his fingers lingering a little too long on the skin of her back that was left bare by the bathing suit.

There were confused goosebumps all over her exposed skin.

Pulling away from her, he smiled. Then grabbed a pillow off of the other bed in the room and propped her injured foot up with it. "Will that be all, Miss Waldorf?" With a flourish, he bowed.

The weird tone in the atmosphere was broken.

"You're such an idiot," she laughed, the strange moment past. She would have to dissect it later, of course; she'd never been uncomfortable around him before physically, so where had that nervousness come from?

In a flash, he was sitting on the other side of the bed and grabbing the remote for the television. "So, up for some TV?"

"Chuck," she reached for the remote, "you don't have to stay. Go down and swim."

He held the control out of her reach. "We're not supposed to walk alone."

"When has a rule ever stopped _you_?"

"When breaking it doesn't interest me; it's too hot out there for physical activity." He clicked the television on, ending the discussion. To their chagrin, there were only four channels: one was news, two were in Swiss, and one was running the first season of Dawson's Creek.

There was really only one choice.

It turned out to be a Dawson's Creek marathon, starting with the pilot. They sat and watched brunette Joey pine over blonde Dawson who, in turn, was gaga over blonde, Jen; Blair tried not to identify with Joey.

By the fourth episode, Chuck broke the silence.

"Pacey's the man I want to be at fifteen," he stated, folding his arms behind his head and crossing his ankles.

Blair muted the television and stared at him in disgust. "You want to speak in constant sexual innuendos?"

"Nope."

"Be failing every class on purpose?

"Uh-uh."

Rolling her eyes, Blair asked the obvious: "You wanna lose your virginity to a teacher?"

Chuck cleared his throat, causing Blair's head to turn; he looked nervous. "Not exactly."

"Chuck!" Blair turned her body toward him, her face colored with shock. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?!"

He stared at the ceiling and maintained his silence.

"We're in _sixth grade_, Bass!"

A grumbled _I know_ came softly from his mouth.

The show was the last thing on her mind now.

"You can't be serious."

Chuck threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. "If you're not going to believe me, then just drop the subject, Waldorf."

Taking a moment to think, Blair then asked, "Is this something you _want_ to tell me?" She bit her lip, studying his profile carefully.

He threw her a self-deprecating smirk. "It's not like Psycho Miss Sparks is going to keep a secret forever."

"_GEORGINA?!_" Blair shrieked. "You can't _stand_ her!"

"Even more true now," he scoffed. "Why do you think I came on this stupid trip? She's stalking me."

"And you expected her to get _saner_ after sleeping with her?"

He winced. "I didn't really do a lot of thinking."

"Obviously."

The word was harsh, but she meant it well. How could he have done this? They were still children; the most complicated situation they were meant to deal with was what clothes to wear to school. Chuck had always been one step ahead, though. This was a leap in comparison to any other first he'd beat the other three to. It actually made her feel bad for him.

Reaching out, she grabbed his hand and pulled him back to his seat next to her. "Listen, if you want to talk about it..."

"I don't really. It just... came up, that's all." He stared at the muted television, watching the actors move with unseeing eyes.

She squeezed his hand and realized she was still holding it. Easing their fingers from the way they were intertwined, she patted the back of his hand. "Let me know how I can help, _if_ I can, okay?"

He eyed her skeptically. "How about a slight subject change?" Gesturing toward the screen, he asked, "Where do you see yourself at fifteen?"

"I refuse to be Joey."

A smirk twisted his mouth. "And why is that, oh, fellow brunette?"

She considered that for a moment, his comment about her hair color giving away that he knew where her thoughts had drifted.

"Because I'm not going to sit idly and let the boy go for the wrong girl. I'm more of a take charge kind of girl."

"That is true, Waldorf. You do tend to push your way through any obstacle."

Raising her eyebrows, she asked, "Is that a bad thing? Having a goal and doing what it takes to reach it?"

He slung his arm across her shoulders. "Nope. It's a good quality, Waldorf." He laughed, "Just remind me not to get in your way."

"I don't think there's any danger in that."

A wink and a smile, Chuck answered, "Sounds like famous last words, to me."

* * *

Luckily, her injury gave Blair a pretty indisputable excuse to get out of camping... in fact, she decided to use it to go home. _Chuck_ used his wallet to convince someone that she needed him to accompany her, in case she required help. Like he could actually assist in working the crutches they gave her.

So here she was, in the limo again. This time with only Chuck next to her, pouring them both a soda. She was finding it hard to wish Nate had offered instead of Chuck, though she couldn't help staring longingly at the lodge as they left.

Knowingly, Chuck broke the silence. "They'll be home in a few days. I doubt they'll be any different when they get back."

Blair glanced at him quickly to assess the spirit of his words; his face didn't look mocking so she turned toward him. Quietly she asked, "You don't think it's a mistake to leave them here alone?"

"I'm sure Nate will be just as easy to catch when they get back. He's not going to do anything other than drool." He smirked. "A lot."

Tilting her head, Blair asked, "Why is it you're not captivated by Serena the way he is?" She glanced sideways, "Especially with your newly gained experience."

"She doesn't interest me, with or without her new training bra status," he laughed. "She's too... obvious. Everything she does is for attention." With a wink he added, "Or maybe I prefer brunettes."

Blair rolled her eyes. "Obvious, huh? So you prefer a shy girl? I would have never guessed, what with your current record."

"Not shy." His face screwed up like he was thinking too hard. "I prefer a girl that can keep up with me, mentally. Who knows when to keep things low-key"

"The eleven-year-old that lost his virginity to the only person more _obvious_ than Serena van der Woodsen doesn't want a flashy, dramatic girl?"

Chuck glanced out the window. "Georgina was a mistake. I know that; you don't need to rub it in." He sighed, "How did we start talking about this again?"

"You were explaining why Nate might want me instead of Serena," she replied slyly.

Another smirk. "I was?"

"Yes."

He laughed. "Well, then." Sliding over on the seat, he put his arm around her shoulders and guided her face close to his own.

Why was her heartbeat speeding up?

"You, Blair Waldorf, are smart, funny, devious... and beautiful." He kissed her lightly on the lips and her heart stopped. "He'd have to be a complete moron to choose her over you," he whispered.

Then he was gone, back across the seat like nothing had happened.

What _had_ just happened?

Before she could ask, the car came to a stop at the airport and the door was opened. Chuck glanced at her quickly and then climbed out.

Apparently the subject was closed.

* * *

When the four friends were back in school together, neither Chuck nor Blair brought up what happened during their time alone in Switzerland. It seemed that there were some secrets that would stay between the two of them.

There was a paper to be written about their time at Camp Suisse and Blair had to keep editing herself when trying to write what experience she'd gained on the trip.

Blair Waldorf's first kiss was probably not the ideal subject for an "A" paper.

* * *

**A/N:** This was my first attempt at Young!CBNS, so I hope ya'll liked it! Please let me know!


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